Chapter 12: Using Randomness, Continued (Days 99-100)

Today in Ethnostats, we continue with Chapter 12, on using randomness. Students continue to learning about how to select and use random samples.

Just as after the previous article, I spend much of the time discussing "Transforming Deficit Myths about Learning, Language, and Culture," by Barbara Flores and others. Unfortunately, I made a small error last week when I posted questions for the students to answer (namely, I confused the authors' "myths" with their "assumptions,") and the students catch this mistake. Naturally, I fix everything before the fourth period class arrives.

Meanwhile, in Calculus class, we proceed with Section 4.6, on optimization. I'd already printed up the notes for this on Thursday before realizing that we needed another day for graphing in 4.4. This means that I'm forced to get through 4.6 on an all-classes Monday rather than a block day -- and I'm not quite sure how much the students understand this lesson. The classic "fence along a river" problem (also mentioned by Starbird in his video) was simple enough, but then we kept moving on to circles and other figures with more complicated measurement formulas, so seeing all of these tricky algebraic steps on the board might have confused them. Many of the problems I'm having now stem from not knowing when the minimum day would be, with that ultimately cancelled quiz taking up space on the schedule. If I'd just dropped the quiz in the first place, I might have devoted both Monday and Tuesday last week to 4.4 graphing, taught 4.6 on Thursday (that is, on a block day), and use the Monday all-classes day for L'Hopital's rule in 4.5.

Trig class is a little more straightforward. We proceed to Section 1.5, which is more on identities. The homework for Section 1.3, first assigned last week, is now due today.

Today is Sevenday on the Eleven Calendar:

Resolution #7: We earn our grades through hard work and dedication.

And the students will definitely do so this week, with the Chapter 4 Test scheduled in Calculus and the Chapter 1 Test scheduled in Trig. Oh, and speaking of these resolutions, a PBIS plan based on these rules will go into effect tomorrow. To launch the new plan, a game day is scheduled during Advisory. Teachers will distribute tickets to all Advisory students in order for them to get refreshments for the game day -- then afterward, we'll give tickets to students following the rules. Then they exchange the tickets for prizes next week -- you know, like a typical PBIS system. We'll see how well the new plan works in my class as we move forward.

Tomorrow will be Day 100 according to the blog. But this is counting the first two days after winter break, when school was cancelled. I'm keeping the count at 100 so that the last day of school lands on 180, but I suspect kindergarten and first grade classes to wait until Thursday, the actual 100th day. Both of these are non-blogging days, so I might as well mention it in today's post.

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